The invention relates to a rigid cover for vehicle roofs, said cover closing a roof opening in its closed position, said cover further being optionally lowerable out of this roof opening and being slidable beneath the fixed rear roof part and/or tiltable at its rear edge above the fixed rear roof part, with a cover panel of glass or a similar material, a mounting frame resting on the underside of the cover and extending along at least one part of the circumference of the cover, and a section running around at least a part of the circumference of the cover panel.
In a known arrangement of this type, designed as a sliding cover (U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,784), the cover panel is surrounded by a divided section of soft aluminum or the like. In this patent, the edge of the cover panel penetrates essentially horizontally into an appropriately dimensioned groove in the section, said section being pushed on laterally from outside and glued to the cover panel. The soft aluminum section is provided with a downwardly projecting leg, said leg being screwed to a bent leg of the mounting frame. Despite this division, the aluminum section can only be installed with difficulty and great care. The known design requires close tolerances. At the same time, the resultant seal is unsatisfactory.
An object of the present invention is to provide a translucent cover for vehicle roofs, said cover being especially simple to install, providing a good sealing action, and permitting considerable dimensional tolerances for the cover panel made of glass or the like.
This object is achieved according to a preferred embodiment of the invention by virtue of the fact that the mounting frame comprises a flange projecting outwardly above the circumference of the cover panel, said flange being bent upward, onto which flange the section is forced from above. Mounting the sealing section on the bent flange of the mounting frame poses no problems and requires no special arrangements. The section is capable of compensating for even large dimensional tolerances in the cover panel. The upwardly-bent flange of the mounting frame, on the other hand, provides an exact dimension for the cover in the sealing area. Pushing the section on from above effectively prevents inadvertent separation.
Preferably, an effort is made to ensure that the mounting frame together with the upwardly-bent flange and the section fit around the cover panel on all sides. The cover panel, made of glass in particular, is thereby held and protected reliably. The section can be made in the form of an endless ring in the arrangement according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
In order to allow for even large dimensional tolerances in the cover panel, the sealing section is provided advantageously in its upper part with a wide, inwardly-projecting lip, which rests upon the top of the edge of the cover panel.
The section can advantageously consist of sealing material or can form a rigid upper mounting frame. It is advantageous to arrange a sealing section in such a manner that it can be applied in a sealing fashion to the edge of the roof opening or to provide it in the form of a sealing section that fits around this edge.
Advantageously, the mounting frame abutting the underside of the cover panel is bent downward, at or a short distance in front of, the outer edge of the cover panel, in order then to make a transition to the upwardly-bent flange, forming an essentially U- or V-shaped section. This not only produces a considerable stiffening of the mounting frame, but also makes it possible to provide a seal whose height is greater than the thickness of the cover panel.
The mounting frame is advantageously provided with one or more weep holes in the vicinity of the lower end of the upwardly-bent flange.
These openings permit any water which penetrates, or water of condensation, to run off in the usual fashion into a gutter located beneath the edge of the roof opening.
In order to further improve the sealing action, at least one elastic sealing bead or similar material can be installed between the mounting frame and the underside of the cover panel.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the present invention.